Dispelling the myth of "compassion fatigue."

Inside Japan with Osnos

A week after my post addressing the lack of updated information on the nuclear disaster situation in Japan, I received the most insightful letter. Tightly packed inside my narrow metal mailbox, I found Evan Osnos‘s “Letter From Fukushima: Seven Months Later: Japan’s Nuclear Predicament” in the New Yorker. I devoured this comprehensive 16-page spread, which wove historical details and facets of the ongoing debate throughout his human-interest driven narrative. Unfortunately, the full feature is only accessible online to magazine subscribers, so I can’t share it in full. However, I am eager to report on some of Osnos’s salient points:

On March 11th, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station fell victim to a second tsunami wave, at 3:35 P.M. and Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, declared a nuclear emergency at 7:03 P.M. – those within a three-kilometer radius were ordered to evacuate. (80,000+ nuclear refugees.)

Hiroshima/Nagasaki and the Lucky Dragon incident created a public skepticism of nuclear energy, know as Japan’s “nuclear allergy.” This inspired the classic “Godzilla” film. To help overcome this distrust, the government appealed to the economic needs of villagers.

In order to prevent an explosion at reactor No. 1, workers needed to open a vent that would release radiation directly into the air (ultimately, this effort failed). Notably, government and Tokyo Electric officials risked a four-hour delay to ensure residents had been evacuated, to curb comparison to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

Undeterred by the Chernobyl scare, nuclear power plants continued to spring up in Japan. The industry invested in visitor’s centers, aimed at gaining the trust of women and children. Osnos’s recent visit to the Tokaimura plant in Tokyo sounds reminiscent of a theme park. He recalled a 1993 video about Little Pluto Boy.

By 2007, Tokyo Electric had confessed to hundreds of false repair records and concealed emergencies. Despite such poor records, power-company executives have long held political sway.

“The Fukushima 50” – a group of workers who braved extreme radiation exposure to maintain the plant. While they gained hero status in foreign media, in Japan, their sacrifice was hushed. In reality, it was closer to 700 workers and the Japanese Newsweek claimed that praise of the workers was overshadowing the plight of everyone else. A deeper analysis reveals issues of exploitation: “nuclear gypsies” work in dangerous conditions for next to nothing. To this day, Tokyo Electric employees are banned from speaking publically.

Residents from Fukushima are now burdened with a powerful stigma. As explained by one man, even if his family could afford to relocate, their childrens’ accent would revel where they had come from.

Public distrust of the government’s safety information is overwhelming. For instance, in May, protesters rallied in Tokyo because the government had relaxed limits on radiation exposure in order to keep schools open in Fukushima.

Japanese authorizes did warn consumers to avoid contaminated food and instructed parents to not buy local milk for their children. Thanks, in part, to their safety strident measures, the amount of deadly cancers will pale in comparison to Chernobyl.

Profile of Iitate village: 6,200 residents were evacuated at the end of May and their homes will remain uninhabitable for decades. For elder locals, their emotional attachment to their homes is greater than their fear of contamination. Instead of fleeing, the oldest man in town took his own life and a local widow is reluctant to move more than 40 minutes away.

The debate continues over health and safety risks, as well as environmental costs/benefits of using nuclear energy (ie. less dependence on fossil fuels).

It’s apparent that issues surrounding the quality of life of nuclear refugees and power plant workers are far from being resolved. They continue to face the negative pressures of social stigma, are struggling to make informed decisions, and are not receiving sufficient financial relief. I appreciate Osnos’s dedication to the personalized stories of individual who are living this tragedy. Their candid accounts are the most valuable record of the current situation in Japan. Moving forward, the continuing debate over nuclear power plants across the globe certainly encompasses human rights concerns, as illustrated by the trending anti-nuclear protests strikes in India.

I encourage those who have been (or know someone who has been) directly affected by a nuclear disaster to share their story here.